Word of the Day for Tuesday July 29, 2008

pusillanimous \pyoo-suh-LAN-uh-muhs\, adjective:

• Lacking in courage and resolution; contemptibly fearful; cowardly.

Pusillanimous comes from Late Latin pusillanimis, from Latin pusillus, "very small, tiny, puny" + animus, "soul, mind."

bats in the cave

• visible clumps of nose goblins, often found clinging to nasal hair.

"you need to blow your nose, you got some serious bats in the cave!!"


Trivia
What feature gave the strange-looking platypus its name?

• Its flipper-like flat feet. Its name is derived from the Greek words platus, “flat,” and pous, “foot.”

Today in History

• Spanish Armada: was defeated by the English, led by Sir Francis Drake (1588)
• Lady Di: married Prince Charles at St. Paul's Cathedral in London (1981)
• switch hitter: Red Sox batter Bill Mueller became the first Major League Baseball player to hit grand slams from both sides of the plate in a single game (2003)

Today's Birthdays

• Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859): French politician who wrote Democracy in America
• Booth Tarkington (1869-1946): Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Magnificent Ambersons
• Dag Hammarskjöld (1905-1961): UN secretary general and Nobel Peace Prize winner
• Elizabeth Dole (72): US senator, 2000 presidential candidate; former US senator Nancy Kassebaum Baker (76) was also born on this date
• Peter Jennings (1938-2005): anchor, World News Tonight
• Ken Burns (55): documentary filmmaker, The Civil War, The War
• Martina McBride (42): country singer; musicians Patti Scialfa and Geddy Lee (both 55), Wanya Morris (35) and Danger Mouse (31) share this birth date